Pinkey James Gulf Station
At the corner of North Street and Line Avenue was Pinkey James Gulf Station. The service station used to be the hang out for the Road Rebel Car Club which Pinkeys son, Earl was a member.
Pinkey’s Gulf Station later became Luttons Atlantic and then eventually Buccelli’s ARCO. In the 70′s, Buccelli’s added a restaurant in the back of the service station. Those that lived in Hazel Dell around the service station all knew when there was a fire because the fire whistle was located on top of the gas station and an older gentleman, Mr. Potter would go out and direct traffic for the firemen and tell them where the fire was.
If you remember when the Central Tax Bureau building was a gas station, we would love to hear your memories, or any memories you might have of the Road Rebel Car Club. Please share your memories below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com
I lived a block away on Bridge Street. I also remember another son of Pinkey’s that was a few years younger than Earl. It was great to do business with them. In the early 50′s, my Dad had a charge account with them and would pay up every time he got his pay from the Tube Mill. When I got my first car, I asked Pinkey if I could start a charge with him and he said no but gave me an application for a Gulf gas card, my first credit card. Every time I had a problem with my car I would first take it to them and I could trust they would tell me the truth. I bought all my gas there for probably 5 years before I moved away from EC.
I worked for “Pinky” Earl James in the early sixites. Along with his two sons Earl Jr. and Rickhard “Dick” and Curt Latshaw. And I remember when the fire siren was located on top of the building, when it went off at 1 oclock you certainly knew it. Over the years there were quite afew accidents at that corner, people coming up North Street would sometimes slow down, others would not and someone would come up Line and make a left right in front of or into the ones coming up North St. Earl Jr. passed away several years ago and was very active in the EC Fire Dept., Dick is alive and well and lives in Arizona that last I knew and Pinky’s only daughter Rebecca “Becky” is still alive as well. I have alot of great memories of working there, which eventually lead to me dating Becky for awhile.He would ask me if Becky and I were going out that weekend and if we were he would give me a couple of dollars extra in my paycheck. That “station” was a hangout for alot of local guys, Ronnie Wiesz, Wendy Shoemaker, the Pistachio Brothers so we got to be around alot of the cool cars of the period Dick bought a 1940 Ford Sedan and put a Buick engine in it and did all the work on it at the statrion. He painted it a light green and named it “Lil Rebel”. At the time Ronnie Wiesz has the fastest car around (nick named the Top Gun by the Ellwood City Ledger for drag racing) a 1957 Silver Chevy hardtop. Naming cars back then was popular and Ronnie named his the “Silver Coffin”, the Pistachio Brother had a 1940 Ford Coupe named “Misfire”. Bob Lamber names his baby blue 4 door Ford “Lonely Blue Boy”, Davy Dalenbaough named his “Thumper”, Joey Loccisino named his 1957 Chery “Dago Red” (which raised some eyebrows then for it was the 60′s). Tood Heinz had a 1958 Red Chevy Convertible (which wasn’t too fast but sure looked good and named it “Devil or Angel”. Some of these local guys went on to form the car club “Road Rebels” and alos “The Coach Men”.I eventually got up to $1.00 per hour while working at Pinky’s then got an offer to work at his nephews (Jim Wiltrout) Gulf Gas Station in Portersville on Sundays for $1.50 per hour. That was before Route 79 went in and Route 19 was the fastes (debatable) route to Lake Erie. And Sundays were always busy there. Alot of great memories, times did seem easier then, but then again I was in a different stage in my life. Small town times and small town living at its Best!!!
Do you remember when Pinkey had a smaller gas station located at the cornner of 5th St and Glenn Ave?
It latter became a Big Bear Gas station in the 60′s
I worked at Buccelli’s ARCO in the 70′s. My best memory was the gas shortage / truckers strike in the early 70′s (1973 I think). We were the only station that had gass all the time due to the fact that we serviced Columbia Gas, Armstrong Cable, Bell Telephone (yes) and the Ellwood Ambulances. Also hospital employees would also come in for gas.This gave us a special exception and these people could get gas anytime they needed it.
Back then you could only get gas according to the last number on your license plate.
To create a barrior, we took junk cars and used them as a fence around the station with 1 way in and 1 way out. People were desperate for gas and would argue and call us names to try and get that valuable gas.
To get a tanker of gas delivered, an escort was set up from Nevile Island to Ellwood by State police and then the Ellwood Police would take over at the Boro line.
I remember Frank Zona (a police officer at that time who went on to be Mayor)standing guard atop the station roof with a rifle.
What a crazy time that was to be a young kid working at a gas station.
Also, our local mailman would stop in to rest and eat his lunch. Why did I remember this? On hot days, Carl Castellani, would take a chair and sit inside of the ice machine and eat lunch and sing. I still tease him about that to this day.
The “older gentleman, Mr. Potter” mentioned in the article had to be Frank Potter who lived on Line Avenue and was the manager at the Ellwood City Bell Telephone office on 5th Street. Mr. Potter was my dad’s boss and I recall as a kid we’d be invited up to his house to see his garden when the tomatoes were ripe. His garden was a showpiece at the time, in the 1950′s. There were many back yard garden’s but Frank Potter year after year put a lot of work into tending his.
Thanks for a wonderful memory! Earl “Pinky” James is my grandfather. Dick and Earl Jr, my uncles, Becky is my aunt. My mother, Phyllis James, is Pinky’s oldest daughter. Though I was too young to remember his service station, Grandpa kept wonderful Gulf Station logo memorabilia around his workbench. What a wonderful web site to record the history of Ellwood City!